“I’m happy to clear my country,” says Kayisa, as he places bundles of red explosive charges on top of the pile, covering them with sandbags to increase the effectiveness of the detonation. “I’m sure that this will be the beginning of development because no one will now be afraid to come here for fishing, building a house or doing agriculture.”

Mines and UXOs can create serious problems, restricting access to land and blocking development projects in Congo. Improperly stored items can be equally dangerous.

“People need to know that after war, after conflict, there are always some explosive remains that have to be removed, because the first victims are always civilians”